This week, one of my colleagues at the school where I work gave a devotion about prayer. Now, prayer is a funny thing, it is many things to many people and is one of the things that is encouraged by most religions as something that is a worthwhile way to spend our time.
My colleague focused on the idea that prayer can be a quick commune with the divine and that God will know what we want before we know it ourselves. He used a quote from Jesus that advises on how to pray, right before Jesus gives his apostles the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6: 7. My colleague only focused on verse seven which talks about the Pagans babbling who sought to be heard with their long communication. My colleague was trying to encourage the students to even spend a small moment thinking about their relationship with God, he emphasised that they didn't have to be eloquent of a dissertation, just their heartfelt attention to God.
I personally would focus on the six verses before verse seven, that condem those who attempt to impress everyone with their piety, praying on street corners and the synagogues to be seen by men. Jesus tells us to go into our homes, lock our doors, fall to our knees and in secret pray to God. Our prayer is to be the simple form of the Our Father.
Magically this is an indication of my personal practice, I don't claim to be powerful of have all of the answers, a fast track to power or anything like that. I also don't give much though to those who claim to. I do have some associates who are powerful, powerful people, but they wouldn't admit it to anyone. It's the Australia way I guess... I am however able to do rituals that allow me to interact with higher orders of consciousness and engage with the hidden power behind all of the world in a small way. I am happy with my work and using Masonic pattern and systems is where I find myself more often than not.
I attended the Grand Installation of the Grand Lodge of Western Australia of Free and Accepted Masons the other week, there was no real magic to be found in the ritual, nothing of substance bar the obligation of the Grand Master and his Deputy. It was an open evening with guests and even the Govenor of WA being present. I could feel the difference in the whole approach to the evening. I could not percieve the powers flowing through the ritual as it usually does for me.
I was not disappointed by this as it was a public event, on the street corner shouting loudly to the world. I had not expected magic and I was actually glad it was not present.
Pax
MvdV
